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The chronicles of the Kirkelen family show that the name was first used in the Scottish/English Borderlands by the Strathclyde-Britons. It was a name for a person who lived in Cumberland, at Kirkland or in Lancashire at Kirkland. Both place names have essentially the same origin: "estate belonging to a church" having been derived from the Viking word "kirkja" + "land." Kirkland in Cumberland (Cumbria) was first recorded as Kyrkeland c. 1140. 1
The surname Kirkelen was first found in Cumberland, at Kirkland, a township, in the parish and union of Garstang, hundred of Amounderness as Homines de Kyrkelaund, recorded there during the reign of Edward I. 2
As one would expect having a close proximity to Scotland, "There are many places of this name in the shires of Dumfries, Ayr, Lanark, Stirling, etc., from one or other of which the surname may have been derived. Johannes filius John de Kyrkeland held land in the territory of Gordon, c. 1280 and later William de Kyrkland was burgess of Glasgow, 1424. Again in Glasgow, listed there was Alan de Kyrklande (1463) and John de Kirkland (1471.) 4
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kirkelen research. Another 127 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1280, 1585, 1586, 1721, 1741, 1760, 1770, 1774, 1790, 1797, 1798, 1808, 1810, 1828, 1840 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Kirkelen History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
The origin of rules governing the spelling of names and even words is a very recent innovation. Before that, words and names were spelled according to sound, and, therefore, often appeared under several different spelling variations in a single document. Kirkelen has been spelled Kirkland, Kirkeland, Kirtland and others.
Notable amongst the family at this time was Thomas Kirkland M.D. (1721-1798), Scottish medical writer. He practiced at Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire. In January 1760 he was called in to attend the steward of Lord Ferrers after he had been shot by his master. Despite Ferrers's threats of violence, Kirkland contrived the arrest of the murderer. By 1774 Kirkland had graduated M.D. at Edinburgh, and subsequently became a member of the Royal Medical Societies of Edinburgh and London. He died at Ashby-de-la-Zouch on 17...
Another 81 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Kirkelen Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Another 50 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
The persecution faced in their homeland left many Scots with little to do but sail for the colonies of North America. There they found land, freedom, opportunity, and nations in the making. They fought for their freedom in the American War of Independence, or traveled north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. In both cases, they made enormous contributions to the formation of those great nations. Among them: Phillips and Nathaniel Kirkland settled in Lynn Massachusetts in 1635; John Kirkland settled in New Jersey in 1685; Charles and George Kirkland both arrived in Philadelphia in 1813 and 1832 respectively..